MV girl and sex toy reviewer Princess Grace brings us this article exclusively for the MV blog to hopefully teach our readers some of the dangers associated with sex toys & prevent the same thing from happening to any of you!

- As cam girls, our tools of the trade are made up of webcams, makeup, lingerie and sex toys. When buying webcams we research the model we want, other girls recommendations and buyer reviews. For makeup we take care in what the product contains as to not put any harmful chemicals onto our skin. With lingerie we work to find pieces that will suit and flatter our body type. But what about sex toys? Do we really put any care into finding out they are safe before purchasing them, or do we just find the cheapest and biggest ones off eBay and Amazon and throw them on our wishlists?

If you have no idea what 'safe' material is for a sex toy, don't worry, it's not dumb. I know because a year ago I was in the same boat. The general public, and unfortunately many sex workers, with cam girls in particular, seem uneducated in regards to sex toy safety. When I first started buying sex toys at sex shop retailers I didn't even bother to read how the toy was made, I just went for the cutest, pinkest dildo. My mentality was that if they are selling them in a store, they must be safe! How could they sell something that wasn't? So when I felt an incredible burning pain that kept me awake all night scared that I would have to go to the emergency room from using the dildo photographed above, I thought there was something wrong with me, and that it was my fault. The next morning after I used it I got a horrible yeast infection I had to eventually go to the doctors for and take medication. After that I was too scared to ever use this particular dildo again, despite maintaining that it was safe and it was just something I did wrong. I continued to use other random dildos however, as well as lubricants, and while I still occasionally felt this burning feeling, particularly with lube, thankfully it was never as bad as the first time.

When I got into camming though and decided it was time to upgrade my toy inventory, I decided I would do a little research first to be sure of what I was purchasing. I was immediately drawn to the type of dildos you see on most cam girl's Amazon wishlists, those big rubbery skin coloured realistic ones. After a quick google however, it immediately became apparent that these were not only unsafe to use, but that by most sex toy bloggers standards, they were considered 'toxic'. My little research then turned into a lot, and I now blog about and review sex toys myself over at my blog Princess Previews. I won't submit you to doing the same research, but instead will give you an easy run down on how to stay safe with sex toys. (If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me)

Toxic toys? How so?

Unfortunately, many of the materials you find in sex toys are not always safe for your body. This is due to the phthalates and other toxic substances found inside. Any sort of insertion toys such as these, from oral to anal, can cause numerous side effects such as headaches or nausea. In particular, sex toys that are made from unsafe materials are generally porous and thus can keep bacteria or even mold after each use, never being able to be fully cleaned, and so they will deteriorate the longer you use them. If your sex toy ever smells, seems to melt or change in any way over time, you should bin it right now. Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a sex toy will be made of a safe material or not since sadly companies often lie about the quality of their toys, but materials to definitely avoid are: jelly, rubber, vinyl, PVC, and any of the "skin" type materials (neoskin, cyberskin ect.). Basically anything that is not silicone!

What materials are safe?

The best material for sex toys, and particularly dildos, is silicone. It should be 100% medical grade, which is basically as safe as safe can be. A dildo like this you can keep forever, clean with anti-bacterial wash, and sterilise by boiling it or even putting it in your dishwasher! Medical grade wood, borosillicate glass, medical grade stainless steel and aluminum are also safe. The best way to ensure you are buying a safe toy however is to find reputable manufacturers and retailers, and avoid eBay and Amazon! Some of my favourites are: Tantus, Bad Dragon, Hole Punch Toys, Jopen, Njoy, Tenga, BS Atelier, Crystal Delights, Doxy, Fun Factory, Lelo, OhMiBod (a cam girl favourite, thankgod!), and Fleshlight.

What about lubricant?

After I stopped using dodgy dildos, it was pretty upsetting to find lube still didn't work for me. I mean, so okay a dildo I bought online or from a tacky sex shop didn't work out, but when I was buying Durex lube from my local chemist and that hurt me? What the hell! It's all about what goes into it again sadly, and with lubricant the less chemicals the better! Parabens and glycerin are the biggest two you should be trying to avoid. Unfortunately, safe lubricant is harder to come by, but luckily my favourite brand Sliquid stocks a large range! Lucky US and Canadian readers might be able to find Sliquid in their local chemists or supermarkets, but otherwise they can be found at most online sex toy retailers. I have also recently been trying out Good Clean Love: Almost Naked, which is also be a safe alternative and smells like cake!

Safer toys are becoming more commonly sold by retailers as time goes by, as is retailers that only sell reputable toys! However, be wary of the cam girl favourite... Amazon! There are many replicas on there that mimic reputable toys, the price tag is so cheap because they aren't safe! So don't plan on researching a safe toy and then finding it there to add to your wishlist. But don't worry, not all safe toys are expensive! Check out the brand list, I promsie you won't be disappointed! And besides, safety should always come first!

She makes some very valid points and seems to know exactly what she is talking about. There is nothing sexy about having an unhealthy vagina. Make sure that what goes inside of you is safe! After all, your body is your temple & its comforting to know you are using the right products!

Have you had a bad experience? Something you want to share? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

I've honestly never thought about this! Over time we have gone to the sex box after a fair while (way before camming) we have found melted toys, and I just assumed it was some kind of reaction to some leaking lube bottle. I cannot use hard toys like glass, I find these uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. So I always look for the softer kinds. I'll definitely be looking at the materials used closer now!

Very fantastic read, this is why I absolutely love non-porous glass and ceramic toys. I had a similar experience nearly 2 years ago when I thought I got the flu but actually had a horrible infection + swollen lymph nodes in my groin and a horrible burning sensation. It was after this that I did research on phthalates, PVC, rubber, silicone, glass, ceramic, and porous vs non-porous toys, plus toy cleaners. Ladies, anything that goes in your body should be thoroughly researched, including tampons and food.

Great to see this on the blog and I shared it to my Twitter (@PiperKushXXX). Most sex toys are sold as "novelty" items and aren't recommended for internal use! Ridiculous! Also, if you have cheap toys against your lovely silicone ones whilst in storage it'll break down the material in both dildos...